Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other popular social media networks continuously update their platforms, which is why it’s critical for marketers to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the social media space.

So to help you prepare for the changes to come in 2018, we’ve put together a list of the top social media trends you need to know about. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

1) Video on demand, in demand

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Nothing on social media is as eye-catching as good video content. Whether you’re marketing on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat, it looks like social video engagement stats are going to be through the roof in 2018. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

If you’re not convinced, these social media video statistics should prove why video is worth your attention:

YouTube viewers watch a billion hours of video each day

Facebook users consume over 8 billion videos every day

82% of Twitter’s audience views video content on the platform

There’s a huge variety of formats this video content can take, from 360-degree videos to live streams. This gives marketing teams a serious amount of flexibility when it comes to planning video campaigns.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that mobile comes first. After all, 90% of Twitter video views and 60% of YouTube views are now from users on mobile devices. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

The marketing community has seen the writing on the wall—65% of marketers are preparing to increase their budgets for mobile ads to focus more on video within the next few months. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

2) Social media influencers gaining more…influence

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

At this point, the advantages of social influencer marketing have been well-established. That’s why marketers should expect heated competition if they want to work with top brand influencers this year. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

To avoid the pressure of competing with rival brands, marketers will be looking to develop more long-term relationships with key social media influencers in 2018. which help both influencer as well as brand.

But why bother looking to partner up for the long haul? Just look at Louis Vuitton’s 2016 partnership with Selena Gomez. It ended abruptly when rival fashion brand Coach managed to sign a new deal with the celebrity influencer, leaving Louis Vuitton out in the cold. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

So, Another key advancement in influencer marketing strategy this year will be authenticity and work on more large level. Consumers can easily detect influencer-brand collaborations that seem forced and call them out, which is why savvy marketers will focus on building organic relationships with influencers that mesh with their brand in 2018. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

3) The EU’s crackdown on data collection

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

In 2018, the European Union is getting serious about companies collecting consumer data. On May 25, 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is going into effect. Will your company be prepared?

Basically, the GDPR gives EU citizens more control over their personal data. Every time a company wants to collect information from a consumer, they’ll now need explicit consent from the individual. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Thus, That data could be anything from their location to their name to their email address. On top of that, the company will need to tell the person what data they plan to collect and how they’ll use it, which make it more secure for the people to share there data with more safety.

So, I know that what you’re thinking—if my business isn’t in the EU, no problem, right? Well, the GDPR is applicable to any company that collects data on any EU citizen. And U.S.-based companies are actually more prepared for the GDPR than European ones; So, less than 75% of European companieswill be GDPR compliant by May, compared to 84% of American companies. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018 Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

What happens if your business doesn’t comply? It’s not pretty: you’ll be faced with an EU fine of up to 4% of global annual turnover or 23 million USD—whichever is greater. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

4) Chatbots taking over the world

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

2018 will be the year that brands need to start thinking about social media bots.

Chatbots have been around for many years, but they’ve seen bigtime for AI improvements recently. More and more brands and organisations are working on using chatbots for customer support and perfecting their chatbot marketing strategy which very helpfull for the brands to make it easy and which make it a Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Right now, chatbots are mostly used for customer service—61% of consumer-chatbot interactions are centered around customer service-related questions. The future of bots is looking bright, too, with an estimated 85% of customer interactions managed by chatbots by 2020 which make are system more easy.

But who exactly is using chatbots? It looks like Millennials are the main culprits. 58% of Millenials have used a chatbot before and 71% say they would try interacting with a chatbot from a major brand, according to a survey by Retale.

So, With this coveted demographic on board, it’s only a matter of time before AI assistants become the new normal. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

5) The new art of storytelling

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

With their growing popularity, social media “stories” will be impossible for marketers to ignore in the coming year. thats why, The “stories” format pioneered by Snapchat has now become a staple of the social media world.

First Instagram created Instagram Stories, and now YouTube has released a stories format of their own called “Reels”. Each offers unique features and presentation, but they all follow the same concept. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Moreover, Stories capture the best moments from a day and most vanish after a set period of time (mainly 24 hour to 48 hour). Their temporary nature creates a sense of FOMO for users who don’t check them out before they disappear. They’re also just a fun, bite-sized way to present video content.

Thus, 2018 is sure to be a big year for stories, with even WhatsApp and Facebook joining the fray. So, it’s time to think about stories as a key part of your social marketing strategy. Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

6) Enhanced Graphics

However, a picture speaks a thousand words; while that is an ancient proverb today, it still applies in the digital marketing ecosystem. Further, it help brands to market the product in more convinient way, Digital Marketing Trends In 2018

That’s why, Images are perfect if you want to make an impact on people digitally and they make quite a difference as Netizens retain 65 per cent of the information when served in the form of visual content. Moreover, visualized content will also see a hike and dominate 2018 because 74 per cent of the marketers already use it in their social media marketing.